HOPE – The Hope Public School District needs bus drivers for the new academic year.Facilities and Transportation Assistant Superintendent Steve Bradshaw said the district has one full-time and one substitute bus driver position open.“It’s ideal if they come in with a bus driver’s license; but, we train after they take the written test,” Bradshaw said.Bus drivers must qualify for an Arkansas Driver’s License and meet commercial drivers license eligibility for passenger, air brake, and safety endorsements, he said. After that, drivers are trained in pre-trip inspection, practice driving and skills prior to completing the CDL skills test administered by the Arkansas State Police.All bus drivers must pass mandatory drug and alcohol screenings and qualify under the Arkansas Department of Transportation physical examination, Bradshaw said.Starting salary for bus drivers with no experience is $6,445 per year for driving morning and afternoon routes.Additional duties are paid as follows:--Handicapped passenger route, $1,353 per year.--Substitute bus driver, $17 per run, maximum two per day.--Out of town trips, two-hour minimum, $18.50 per hour.--Aviation class route, $25.50 per day.--Paraprofessional, $15 per day.Trip pay for coaches is paid based upon distance involved from a minimum of $15 for first 10 miles to $105 for 201-plus miles.“Drivers who stay overnight on trips document the total number of hours they are gone on the trip,” Bradshaw said.Eight hours are deducted for each night spent away from home, he said. Drivers that do not qualify for blended pay receive an additional $15 for weekend driving. In town field trips are paid at a flat rate of $18.50 per hour.Bradshaw said teachers will provide bus seating charts for each field trip, and students who ride buses will be required to have bus passes for the 2016-17 school year.Campus administrators will also provide the transportation department with home contact information for students from their campus who elect to ride buses to and from school daily.